Double-ended conductor-in-slot connecting device

ABSTRACT

Tubular conductor-in-slot connecting device comprises a formed tubular member having an axially extending open seam which serves as a conductor receiving slot. The member is partially transversely severed intermediate its ends to form two or more separate spring systems. A conductor can be inserted into the slot from each end of the tubular member to electrically connect the conductors to each other. One embodiment is adapted to be mounted on a panel member and another embodiment is insulated and used as a dead end connector for wires. An improved strain relief means for tubular connecting devices is also disclosed.

United States Patent 1 Doty et al.

[451 Apr. 15, 1975 DOUBLE-ENDED CONDUCTOR-IN-SLOT CONNECTING DEVICE [75]Inventors: Donald Judson Doty,

Winston-Salem; Robert Philmore Reavis, Jr., Statesville, both of NC.

[73] Assignee: AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.

[22] Filed: Oct. 29, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 410,946

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS United Kingdom 339/97 P 1,963,313 6/1971Germany 339/97 R Primary ExaminerJoseph l-l. McGlynn [5 7 ABSTRACTTubular conductor-in-slot connecting device comprises a formed tubularmember having an axially extending open seam which serves as a conductorreceiving slot. The member is partially transversely severedintermediate its ends to form two or more separate spring systems. Aconductor can be inserted into the slot from each end of the tubularmember to electrically connect the conductors to each other. Oneembodiment is adapted to be mounted on a panel member and anotherembodiment is insulated and used as a dead end connector for wires. Animproved strain relief means for tubular connecting devices is alsodisclosed.

5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEBAPR 1 5191s 3, 877.

DOUBLE-ENDED CONDUCTOR-lN-SLOT CONNECTING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Application Ser. No. 347,956 now Pat. No. 3,860,318 disclosesand claims an improved conductor-in-slot connecting device comprising aformed tubular member which is transversely sheared along a shear lineextending partially therearound intermediate its ends. The transverseshear line divides the tubular member into two separate spring systemsso that a wire can be positioned on each side of this shear line andwill not be effected by an adjacent wire on the other side of the shearline. The connecting device shown in application Ser. No. 347,956 isprovided on the end of an electrical contact terminal contained in amulticontact electrical connector.

Tubular connecting devices of the type shown in the above-identifiedapplication have been found to be highly satisfactory for a number ofreasons as set forth and described in that application. An improvedtubular connecting device is disclosed in application Ser. No. 405,970now U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,455 which incorporates a strain relief fortensile forces applied to an inserted wire.

The instant invention is directed to the achievement of a tubularconnecting device of the general type disclosed in application Ser. No.347,956 and which is double ended in that it is adapted to receive awire from either end thereof. Such double ended tubular connectingdevices can be used for example, on a panel-like member for connectingwires which are on opposite sides of the panel to each other and can beused with a suitable insulating means as a dead end connector.

The invention is also directed to the achievement of an improved strainrelief for tubular conductor-in-slot connecting devices which retains aninserted conductor against movement laterally (rather than axially) outof the slot of the connecting device. This strain relief can be used inconventional single ended tubular connecting devices of the type underconsideration as well as double ended devices.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improvedeonductor-in-slot connecting device. A further object is to provide adouble ended conductorin-slot connecting device. A still further objectis to provide an improved strain relief for a conductor-inslotconnecting device. A further object is to provide a suitable tubularconductor-in-slot connecting device which can be mounted in a panel-likemember and to which wires or other conductors on either side of thepanel can be connected. A further object is to provide an improvedsplice connector for connecting the ends of wires or other conductors.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved in preferredembodiments which are briefly described in the foregoing abstract, whichare described in detail below, and which are shown in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connecting device for connecting theends of wires in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the component parts of theconnecting device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the connecting device of FIG. 1 showing thepositions of the parts prior to insertion of the wires into the slots ofthe device.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the positions of theparts after insertion of the wires.

FIG. 5 is a view taken along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view taken alongthe lines 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theinvention which is adapted to be mounted on a panel-like member.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a plurality of the connecting devices of thetype shown in FIG. 7 mounted on a panel.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating the principle of the strain relief meanswhich is provided on the connecting device of FIG. 7.

FIG. 1 shows a connecting means 2 for connecting the ends of wires 4 toeach other, this connecting means incorporating a double ended tubularconductor-in-slot connecting device in accordance with the invention.The connecting means 2 comprises a double ended formed tubular member 6of suitable insulating conductive sheet metal, a tubular insulatingsleeve 20, and two end caps 29 which are threaded onto the insulatingmember 20.

The conductive tubular member 6 is cylindrical throughout the majorportion of its length and has an axially extending open seam 8 whichserves as a conductor receiving slot. The tubular body is transverselysheared as shown at 10 midway between its ends and partially around itscircumference. The shear lines 10 extend to punched holes 12 which serveto prevent propagation of the cracks from the ends of the shear lines.Openings 14 are provided at each end of the tubular member 6 for thereception of the wires as will be described below and the edges of theseopenings extend convergently to the ends 16 of the slots 8. A pair ofradially extending ears 18 are formed on each side of the openings 14 toretain the metallic tubular member 6 in the insulating tubular member 20as shown in FIG. 6.

The insulating member 20 has an open seam or gap 22 which is somewhatwider than the seam 8 and has external threads 24 on its surface whichextend partially inwardly from each end to outwardly facing stopshoulders 27. The edges of the seam or gap 22 are notched at each end ofthe insulating member as shown .at 26, these notches being adapted toreceive the previously described ears 18.

The end caps or end covers 29 are in the form of cuplike cylindricalmembers having internal threads 28 which engage with the threads 24 andhave axially extending centrally located cylindrical ram or wire stuffer30 members integral therewith.

The conductive tubular member 6 may be formed of any suitable conductivemetal such as phosphorbronze, beryllium copper etc. Good results areobtained with a No. 4 hard cartridge brass having a thickness of about0.012 inches and the plastic parts 20, 29 may be molded of any suitableplastic material which is relatively firm and rigid in thick sectionsbut which should have some flexibility. The conductive tubular member 6is assembled to the insulating sleeve member 20 by merely moving thesetwo members laterally towards each other from the positions shown inFIG. 2. The conductive member can be forced through the gap 22 of theinsulating member if the insulating member is capable of flexing to aslight degree and after assembly, the ears 18 will be seated in therecesses 26 as shown in FIG. 6 to prevent rotation of either member withrespect to the other.

In use, the cap members are assembled to the insulating sleeve and thewires are inserted into the open ings 14 as shown in FIG. 3. The capmembers are then merely moved inwardly and towards each other until thefaces 32 of the cap members are against the shoulders 27. Such movementof the cap members 29 force the wires into the slot 8 so that the edgesof the slot penetrate the insulation of the wires and establishelectrical contact with the conducting core thereof.

As noted above, the cap or cover members 29 and the insulating sleeve 20are advantageously formed of a material which has some flexibility anddepending upon the degree of flexibility on this material, the capmembers may be simply passed inwardly from the posi' tion of FIG. 3 tothe positions of FIG. 4 and the teeth will flex while they move overeach other. The cap members can be removed by unthreading and the devicecan be reused if desired. Suitable materials for the plastic parts arepoly carbonate and nylon, the latter material being glass-filled to theextent necessary to achieve the desired combination of hardness orfirmness and flexibility FIGS. 7-9 show an alternative form of doubleending connecting device 34 which is adapted to be mounted in apanel-like member 34 for connecting wires 38 on the upper side of thepanel to wires 40 on the lower side. The connecting device 36 comprisesa formed tubular member 42 having an axially extending seam 44 whichserves as a conductor receiving slot. Mid-way between its ends, thetubular member is partially transversely sheared as shown at 46, theshear lines extending to punched holes 48 for reasons previouslydiscussed. Opposed spaced apart tangs 50 are struck from the tubularmember on each side of the shear line 46 for retaining the member in thepanel-like member. The connecting device is mounted in the panel bymerely inserting it into a circular hole in the panel and the tangs 50will bear against the opposite sides of the panel as shown.

The embodiment of FIGS. 79 has an improved strain relief at each end toimpede or prevent movement of the wires laterally of their axes from theslot.

This strain relief means is provided adjacent to the con-.

ductor receiving openings 52 at the ends of the connecting device and isformed by shearing the tubular member adjacent to the openings 52transversely as shown at 56, the shear lines extending partially aroundthe circumference to punched holes 58. The portions 60 of the tubularmember which lie between the shear lines 56 and the edges 59 of theopenings are formed inwardly towards the axis of the tubular member sothat the retaining portion 62 of the slot 44 is relatively more narrowthan the central conductor receiving portion of the slot. The axial seamthus has a retaining portion of restricted width which extends from afirst location (the intersection of the edges 59 and the axiallyextending edges of the portion 62 of the seam) to a second locationdefined by the intersection of the shear lines 56 with the seam. Thefirst and second locations define an entrance portion, a contact slotportion, and a retaining portion of the seam. The entrance portion isbounded by the end of the tubular member and the first location and iscoincident with the opening edges 59. The retaining portion 62 isbetween the first and second locations. The second location defines theoutermost extent of the contact or conductor receiving slot portion, 44.The slot may, in fact, be completely closed although there will usuallybe a narrow gap at 62 because of spring back effects in the metal. Byvirtue of the fact that the tubular member is sheared at 56, proportions60 can be flexed towards or away from the axis of the tubular member andthe slot portion 62 will be opened to the extent necessary to admit thewire.

FIG. 9 illustrates the principle of this strain relief feature and showsa wire located against the edges 59 of the opening 52, the position itwould occupy. immediately prior to being moved into the central portion44 of the slot. If a downward force F (which represents the insertionforces) is applied to the wire in FIG. 9, it will be transmitted to thetubular member as two components each of which has a magnitude of F /2and which is directed substantially normally of the portion of the edges59 against which the wire bears. Each force F /2 is a resultant of avertical component and a horizontal component as indicated and thehorizonal component force will tend to flex the associated portion 60 inone direction or another (outwardly or inwardly) so that the slotsection 62 will be opened. Whilethe wire is being moved through thesection 62 of the slot, there will ordinarily be some penetration of theinsulation and this section of the slot will not be opened to a widthwhich is equal to the diameter of the insulation of the wire.

After the wire moves past the shear lines 56, the portions 60 of thetubular member return to theirnormal positions and the wire will beprevented from moving upwardly by the constricted slot portion 62. Itwillbe apparent that an upward force applied to the shoulders 64 betweenthe restricted slot portion 62 and the portion 44 of the slot will nottend to open the constricted portion of the slot since there is nohorizonal force component developed. This upward force would be appliedif one of the upwardly extending wires in FIG. 8 were pulled ortensioned.

A strain relief means as described above can beused in single endedconnecting devices of the type shown in application Ser. No. 347,956 andthe principle is equally applicable and can be used with connectingdevices of the type shown in application Ser. No. 405,970 now US. Pat.No. 3,845,455. In the latter case, the strain relief can be provided onthe strain relief slot rather than the electrical contact slot of theconnecting device.

While the disclosed embodiment has a single shear line on each side ofthe open seam to providetwo separate spring systems, it will be apparentthat an additional number of shears can be provided to form anadditional number of spring systems, for example, two separate springsystems can be provided on each side of the middle of the connectingdevice so that a total of four wires can be electrically connected toeach other.

Double-ended metallic connecting devices in accordance with theinventioncan be used under circum stances other than those disclosedabove where it isexpedient to insert the wires from opposite ends of theconnecting device rather than from only one end. For example, inmulti-contact electrical connectors having a plurality of contactterminals therein. In a multicontact connector of this type, theindividual tubular connecting device would ordinarily have a contactmeans for disengageably contacting a complementary contact terminal in acomplementary multi-contact electrical connector.

Change in construction will occur to those skilled in the art andvarious apparently different modifications and embodiments may be madewithout departing from the scope of the inventionl The matter set forthin the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by wayof illustration only.

What is claimed is:

l. A conductor-in-slot electrical connecting device comprising:

a formed metallic tubular member of conductive sheet metal, said memberhaving an axially extending open seam extending from one end thereof tothe other end thereof, said seam serving as a conductor-receiving slotand having edges which are adapted to engage a conductor inserted intosaid said member being partially transversely severed intermediate theends thereof from said edges partially around the circumference of saidmember whereby said member is divided into two separate spring systems,for reception of at least two conductors,

conductor-receiving means at each end of said member, each of saidconductor receiving means comprising an opening in the wall of saidmember adjacent to said ends, each of said openings intersecting saidedges of said conductor-receiving slot a tubular insulating member insurrounding relationship to said metallic member, said insulating memherhaving an axially extending open seam which is in alignment with saidopen seam of said metallic member, and

insulating cover means each end of said tubular insulating member, saidcover means being movable relatively towards each other on said tubularinsulating member whereby,

upon locating a conductor in each of said openings with the axes of saidconductors extending laterally of the axis of said member, and uponmoving said cover means towards each other said conductors are movedlaterally of their axes and towards each other, and said conductors willbe moved into said conductor-receiving slot and said edges will engage,and establish electrical contact with, said conductors.

2. A connecting device as set forth in claim 1, said insulating covermeans having internal threads and said tubular insulating member havingexternal threads.

3. A connecting device as, set forth in claim 2, said tubular insulatingmember and said cover means being of a stiffly flexible materialwhereby, said cover means can be pushed inwardly on said tubular memberwith accompanying flexing of said screw threads and without destructionof said screw threads.

4. A conductor-in-slot electrical connecting device comprising:

a formed metallic tubular member of conductive sheet metal, said memberhaving an axially extending open seam extending from one end thereof tothe other end thereof,

said member being partially transversely severed intermediate the endsthereof from the edges of said seam partially around the circumferenceof said member by severance lines which are in alignment on oppositesides of said seam, whereby said member is divided into two separatespring systems forreception of at least two conductors,

conductor-receiving means at each end of said member, each of saidconductor receiving means comprising an opening in the wall of saidmember adjacent to said ends;

contact slot portions of said seam on both sides of said severance linesand extending inwardly from each of said openings to said severancelines for the reception of a conductor on each side of said severancelines, said contact slot portions having opposed edges spaced apart by adistance which is less than that of the conductor for which said deviceis intended,

a tubular insulating member in surrounding relationship to said metallicmember, and

an insulating cover means at each end of said tubular insulating member,said cover means being movable relatively towards each other, wherebyupon locating a conductor in each of said openings with the axis of saidconductors extending laterally of the axis of said member, and uponmovement of said cover means towards each other, said conductors aremoved by said cover means laterally of their axes towards said severancelines, and into said contact slot portions whereby said edges engage,and establish electrical contact with said conductors.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4, said cover means at each end havinginternal ram means movable along the axis of said tubular member andinside said tubular member, so that when said cover means are movedrelatively towards each other said ram means push the portions of saidconductors inside said tubular member towards each other.

1. A conductor-in-slot electrical connecting device comprising: a formedmetallic tubular member of conductive sheet metal, said member having anaxially extending open seam extending from one end thereof to the otherend thereof, said seam serving as a conductor-receiving slot and havingedges which are adapted to engage a conductor inserted into said slot,said member being partially transversely severed intermediate the endsthereof from said edges partially around the circumference of saidmember whereby said member is divided into two separate spring systems,for reception of at least two conductors, conductor-receiving means ateach end of said member, each of said conductor receiving meanscomprising an opening in the wall of said member Adjacent to said ends,each of said openings intersecting said edges of saidconductor-receiving slot a tubular insulating member in surroundingrelationship to said metallic member, said insulating member having anaxially extending open seam which is in alignment with said open seam ofsaid metallic member, and insulating cover means each end of saidtubular insulating member, said cover means being movable relativelytowards each other on said tubular insulating member whereby, uponlocating a conductor in each of said openings with the axes of saidconductors extending laterally of the axis of said member, and uponmoving said cover means towards each other said conductors are movedlaterally of their axes and towards each other, and said conductors willbe moved into said conductor-receiving slot and said edges will engage,and establish electrical contact with, said conductors.
 2. A connectingdevice as set forth in claim 1, said insulating cover means havinginternal threads and said tubular insulating member having externalthreads.
 3. A connecting device as, set forth in claim 2, said tubularinsulating member and said cover means being of a stiffly flexiblematerial whereby, said cover means can be pushed inwardly on saidtubular member with accompanying flexing of said screw threads andwithout destruction of said screw threads.
 4. A conductor-in-slotelectrical connecting device comprising: a formed metallic tubularmember of conductive sheet metal, said member having an axiallyextending open seam extending from one end thereof to the other endthereof, said member being partially transversely severed intermediatethe ends thereof from the edges of said seam partially around thecircumference of said member by severance lines which are in alignmenton opposite sides of said seam, whereby said member is divided into twoseparate spring systems for reception of at least two conductors,conductor-receiving means at each end of said member, each of saidconductor receiving means comprising an opening in the wall of saidmember adjacent to said ends; contact slot portions of said seam on bothsides of said severance lines and extending inwardly from each of saidopenings to said severance lines for the reception of a conductor oneach side of said severance lines, said contact slot portions havingopposed edges spaced apart by a distance which is less than that of theconductor for which said device is intended, a tubular insulating memberin surrounding relationship to said metallic member, and an insulatingcover means at each end of said tubular insulating member, said covermeans being movable relatively towards each other, whereby upon locatinga conductor in each of said openings with the axis of said conductorsextending laterally of the axis of said member, and upon movement ofsaid cover means towards each other, said conductors are moved by saidcover means laterally of their axes towards said severance lines, andinto said contact slot portions whereby said edges engage, and establishelectrical contact with said conductors.
 5. A device as set forth inclaim 4, said cover means at each end having internal ram means movablealong the axis of said tubular member and inside said tubular member, sothat when said cover means are moved relatively towards each other saidram means push the portions of said conductors inside said tubularmember towards each other.